College-set romances traditionally major in minors expelling hormones and vomit in massive quantities. Not "At Middleton." It matches two parents stuck in unhappy marriages who, for one carefree day, get a refresher course in puppy love while wreaking havoc on a stodgy university's sacred institutions. It's corny. Dare I say, sophomoric. But stars Vera Farmiga and Andy Garcia are such delightful troublemakers you'd be remiss to deny it a passing grade.

Co-written and directed by newcomer Adam Rodgers, "At Middleton" effectively taps into college's ability to inspire new perspectives on the world. So it is with Farmiga's Edith and Garcia's George, a passive aggressive heart surgeon with a ticker as hard as stone. They've come to bucolic Middleton College (actually Gonzaga and Washington State) to introduce their respective 17-year-old offspring (Spencer Lofranco and Farmiga's look-a-like sister, Taissa) to one of the Northwest's most prestigious universities. George, a smotherer, has come willingly; Edith, a free spirit, grudgingly. Naturally, this being a movie about new beginnings, these opposites start to attract after they wander from the crowd during a campus tour.

What ensues is typical of whirlwind, one-day romances like those in "Before Sunrise" and "Last Chance Harvey" that unfold in a heightened reality where pot smoking, stealing bikes and impromptu performances in front of the drama club are presented as plausible, everyday occurrences. It's hard yielding to the film's incessant quirkiness at first, but Farmiga and Garcia are so committed to the material that you feel like a killjoy if you don't go along.

You draw the line, though, when Rodgers hints that their equally opposite kids, Lofranco's Conrad and Taissa Farmiga's Audrey, might hook-up as well during their half-hearted search for their AWOL parents. Like his dad and her mom, they are complete opposites. Conrad, an aspiring disc jockey, couldn't care less about school, while Audrey is unhealthfully obsessed with getting in so she can study under her hero, renowned linguist Roland Emerson (Tom Skerritt).

As hard as the two young actors try, they fail to captivate, not to mention stir chemistry. It's also hard to get past the fact that Taissa and Vera Farmiga are sisters in real life, not mother and daughter. The strong resemblance between the siblings was much better used in "Higher Ground," in which Taissa, 21 years younger, played Vera's character as a teenager. Here, you can't help wondering if Vera wasn't a bit insulted by being asked to play Taissa's mother. Yet, both seem to be enjoying themselves, particularly Vera, who, like Garcia, relishes the chance to let herself go acting like a mischievous kid. Her Edith is the ringleader of this devilish duo, but it doesn't make much prodding to get George to pop open his bowtie and make an endearing fool of himself.

Page 2 of 2 - The best thing about "At Middleton" is its bold ending, which completely throws convention to the wind, resulting in several bittersweet moments almost certain to elicit a tear or two. It's not unlike the Oscar-winning classic "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," which "At Middleton" repeatedly references during George and Edith's eventful afternoon spent far away from their indifferent spouses and indignant children. That's pretty haughty company to tie yourself to, and "At Middleton" doesn't come close to achieving the gravitas of that Deneuve masterpiece. But it does cover you in warmth. And what could be more ideal to fend off a frigid winter's day?